Box-fastener.



1 n. l scHLEIoHER.

BOX PASTBNEB.. urmourox HLBD nov, 11,- loos.

Patented Mar. 9, 1909.

STATES ROBERT SOHLEIOIIER, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO MENGELBOX COMPANY OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

BQX-FASTENER.

To all 'whom 'it may concern: Be it known that I, Ronan/r Soiirnionnn,

Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, haveinvented certain Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to improvements in box-fasteners, and hasreference more particularly to the construction of the fastener', whichafter being closed or secured cannot be again opened and closed withoutshowing that it has been so opened.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of abox having the fastener appliedthereto and closed; Fig. 2, a view showing the box in section and thefastener partly in section, the latter being upon the line 2 2 of Fig.1; Fig. 3 a perspective view of a portion of the box and one of thefasteners, showing the parts in position before the parts are finallyclosed or secured; Fig. 4 a horizontal sectional view, taken on the line4-4 of F ig. 2; and Fig. 5 a perspective view of the two members of thefastener prior to their being secured to they box and bent to form.

The main object of the invention is to provide a fastener which may bereadily applied to a box and when the box is filled and the top or lidthereof closed the members of the fastener are brought into engage.

ment with each other in such manner as to render it difficult to freethe same, and liliewise to prevent the fastener being opened and thenclosed without showing that it has been so manipulated.

In the transit of the goods from the manufacturer to the consumer, it isessential that the pilfering of the contents of the box and also thesubstitution of inferior goods should be prevented.

The invention is shown as applied to a box, in which the top 10 ishinged or otherwise secured to the body 11 at one edge or side of thetop, though as will be readily appreciated. the top may be secured tothe body of the box by fastening devices placed upon both sides, or bothsides and the ends thereof. In the form shown, however, the

Speeicaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 11, 1908.

l to the opposite side of the structure. citizen of the United States,residing at f l 1 l i l atented March 9, 1909.

Serial No. 462,144.

top is hinged and two fasteners are secured which in the presentinstance isshowii as new and useful Improvements in Boxw secured to thetop, being formedpof a strip of sheet metal 12, one end being preferablypoint-ed and forced through the top 1G, shown in Figs. 2 and 3, said endbeing bent upwardly against the under face ofgthe top, as at i3, Fig. 2.the member 12 is provided with a head 14, the cross piece having'shoulders 15 formed thereon. The second member of thejfastener islikewise formed of a strip of sheetmetal 16, one end of which ispointedandgdriven through the front wall of the box and turned upwardlyagainst the inner face thereof, as at 17, F ig. 2. rIhe opposite end ofthe member 16 is provided with a pair of wings or fingers 18. Normally,and prior to the engagement of the parts, these fingers or wings standat right angles to the body of the mem- ,ber 16, or in other words, forma substantially U-shaped head, the distance between the wings beingapproximately equal to the width of the strip 12.

When the lower member is secured to the front wall of the box/the innerends of the wings stand slightly away from the forward face of the box,so that when the cover is swung downwardly or brought to rest upon theupper portion of the box the head 14 of the upper' member may passdownwardly to a point where the lower faces of the wings 18 will standust above the shoulders 15.

It will, of course, be understood that the member 16 may be pulledoutwardly as the upper member is passed downwardly, and thereafterallowed to spring bach into position, as shown in Fig. 2` I/Vhen theparts as sume this position the free ends of the wings 18 will be turnedinwardly against the inner face of the member 12, above the head 14 andthe shoulders 15, the parts then assuming the positions shown in Fig. 4,and as seen in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the wings at such time lyingclose against the face of the box and being in suoli position that theycannot be reached, thus rendering it difficult to open the fastener. Z

It will be readily appreciated that to open The outer or free end of'the fastener more or less force will have to be applied, and by reasonof the faet that the wings are turned inwardly against the face of thebox, the latter would of necessity be more or less marred, as would alsothe fastener itself, were any attempt made to open the box.

If it be attempted to withdraw the members of the fastener fromengagement with the box, the latter would of necessity be more or lessdefaced and possibly broken, inasmuch as when the inner ends 13 and 17are bent at substantially right angles to that portion of the fastenerwhich passes through the box, the fastener' closely engages the boxmaterial and cannot be readily withdrawn therefrom; in other words, thebox or the fastener will be either so marred or broken as to make itclearly evident that the package had been tampered with.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A box-fastener, comprising two members formed of sheet metal, eachmember being adapted to be secured at one end to the box, one memberbeing formed with a transversely-extending head in substantial alinementwith the body and the other being provided with wings adapted to engagethe body of the other member at a point above the head.

2. A box-fastener, comprising a sheet metal member adapted to be passedthrough one portion of a box and to be secured thereto, said memberhaving at its outer end a head portion of a width greater than the widthof the body and having shoulders formed thereon adjacent to the body;and a second member formed of sheet metal and likewise secured toanother portion of the box, said second member' being provided withwings at its upper end adapted to engage the shouldered portion: of thehead and to be bent beneath the body portion of the first memberadjacent to the wally of the box, whereby the free ends of said Wingswill be covered, and tampering with. the fastening will. be to a greateror less extent precluded.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of X two subscribing witnesses.

l ROBERT scnniironnnl Vitnesses:

C. C. MENGEL, D. M. LINDLEY.

